The Toronto Blue Jays announced Monday they have acquired relief pitcher Scott Feldman from the Houston Astros in return for minor league pitcher Guadalupe Chavez.
Feldman is 5-3 with a 2.90 ERA in 26 games and five starts this season, as the Blue Jays add a versatile arm to their bullpen.
The 18-year-old Chavez was the Blue Jays’ No. 20-ranked prospect, per MLB.com, and had been pitching in the Gulf Coast League, where he posted a 4-1 record with a 1.69 ERA, per MiLB.com.
The acquisition of Feldman came shortly after the Blue Jays announced they dealt reliever Jesse Chavez to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday in exchange for pitcher Mike Bolsinger. It’s also almost a week after they traded Drew Storen to the Seattle Mariners for veteran Joaquin Benoit.
Beginning the year as a starter, the Astros shifted Feldman to the bullpen after he started 0-2 with a 4.58 ERA in four outings.
Upon moving to the pen, Feldman became a reliever who was able to appear anywhere from the middle innings to the eighth as a setup man.
His best stretch of the season began in June when he went on an 11-appearance run in which he allowed a combined three runs while striking out 13.
Feldman’s ERA sank to as low as 2.40, but an outing on Sunday against the Detroit Tigers saw him pelted for four runs while allowing two round-trippers in two innings of work.
As the Blue Jays battle the Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox for American League East supremacy, Feldman’s acquisition could allow the team to start cutting down on its usage of the less reliable relievers.
Brett Cecil has an ERA over 4.50, so Feldman could be a solid candidate to take over his role in the bullpen. It will allow the likes of Joe Biagini, Jason Grilli and Benoit to come into more favorable situations while giving closer Roberto Osuna a better chance to finish games off.
Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.
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